Goodrich gained its first Airbus A380 support customer. Singapore Airlines awarded a long-term contract to Goodrich to provide asset management services, including component and system maintenance, for 19 A380s. The deal covers primary and secondary flight controls to sensors and evacuation systems. Goodrich's facilities in Singapore, France, the U.K. and U.S. will deliver the asset-based support program.
Deflating aircraft tires can be a noisy task. For instance, a Boeing 747 wheel inflated to 195 psi can emit a loud 117 dBA noise when deflating. Kestrel Engineering of Ireland developed a silencer tool that can reduce the noise level to 94 dBA if used to remove the valve core. Within one minute, that level decreases to 86 dBA, and after 3.5 minutes, it declines to 74 dBA. A 747 wheel can deflate entirely in four minutes with the Saf-Deflat-Aer tool.
The U.K.'s Ministry of Defense hangs its ability to acquire new technologies on its ability to cut costs and run aftermarket sustainment of systems more effectively. MoD is working to service multiple aircraft from a single hub facility, looking for commonality and efficiency in maintenance, repair, overhaul and reset expertise. In the U.S., lifecycle sustainment is the buzz word, coupled with performance-based logistics contracts. Italy follows the U.K. model, and Canada blends the two with heavy reliance on prognostics and diagnostics.
ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES: NORTH AMERICA -- SALES DIRECTOR Matt Holdreith, Phone: 212-904-2628; Fax: 212-904-3993 NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, EAST Katie Taplett, Phone: 202-383-2335; Fax: 202-383-2323 NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, WEST Bill Hux, Phone: 213-480-5202; Fax: 213-480-5249 REGIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, NORTHEAST Gerry Lawrence, Phone: 781-860-6452; Fax: 781-860-6426 NORTHEAST, MID-ATLANTIC AND EASTERN CANADA
Crane Aerospace & Electronics named Allan Day as general manager and director of its Electronics Manufacturing Solutions (EMS) business. He will be responsible for manufacturing operations as well as sales, quality and strategic deployment.
The Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program, intended to streamline certain FAA functions -- such as issuing STCs and PMAs and approving repair data -- by more broadly delegating authorization approval to industry is picking up steam. By the end of August, FAA will have conducted three training sessions, more than a hundred firms will have applied for ODA status, and the agency should be close to awarding the first ODA delegation.
Parker Hannifin released its 800-page Critical Hydraulic and Pneumatic Maintenance & Repair Components Catalog, also known as "The Parker Book," which includes more than 8,000 parts. It provides the MRO market with a range of hydraulic and pneumatic components and is available through authorized Parker distributors. "Parker authorized full line distributors already provide local engineering, system support and inventories to serve MRO customers," said Mark Kugelman, vice president of business development.
FRANKFURT -- A team of "three super efficient" people at Lufthansa Technik started developing an engine wash system last August that could be ready for launching as early as next month. The Lufthansa Technik gas path cleaning system is designed to inject water into the engine core through a patented spinner adapter that cleans engines with less water, faster, than other systems the company has used or examined.
KLM Engineering & Maintenance signed a five-year material agreement with GE Aviation to support its CF6-50 overhaul operation. KLM said the deals helps it reduce turntime and inventory costs, as well as reduce material acquistion time.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are in the throes of final negotiations over a comprehensive aviation bill that will set the stage for the future of the national aviation system. The bill would reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration programs for the next four years, renew the aviation excise taxes or adopt some other funding mechanism to pay for FAA's costs, and address a number of other issues, including some that directly affect repair stations.
easyJet awarded a 10-year OnPoint Solution service agreement worth up to $1 billion to GE Aviation for the maintenance and overhaul of CFM56-5B and -7B engines powering the carrier's 192 A319s and 32 737-700s.
Lockheed Martin will upgrade radar capabilities for the reconnaissance version of the Japan Air Self Defense Force's fleet of F-15 aircraft, from a new JASDF contract announced on June 19. As part of a Japanese-led team, Lockheed Martin will equip selected F-15s with external advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) pods.
Royal Brunei Airlines selected a long-term TotalCare service agreement as part of the agreement for Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines to power four Boeing 787-8s it is leasing.
Airline mechanics who transition from the Boeing 767 to the 787 Dreamliner will find many of their old tasks significantly reduced, in part because of new materials, including composites, but also because of improvements in systems, which are more capable and less complex, smaller and lighter, and more reliable and more dispatchable, according to Justin Hale, Boeing 787 program deputy chief mechanic. In briefings in Seattle, Hale pointed to numerous changes in the 787, including:
Cryptography Research believes it can prevent questionable parts, informally called "counterfeit" or labeled Suspect Unapproved Parts (SUPs) by FAA, from getting into inventories or onto aircraft. The San Francisco-based firm has plenty of experience preventing fraud and theft in the financial, communication and medical sectors and has started discussions with aircraft manufacturers, according to Vice President Technology Benjamin Jun.
Euravia Engineering & Supply Co. won a Royal Air Force contract to provide reduced cost of ownership for Garrett GTCP165-1A APUs on Sentry E-3D aircraft. The Sentry Integrated Project Team will support the APU until the Sentry reaches its out of service date in 2025.
Denim Air signed an agreement with Fokker Services for an integrated service package, including component, propeller and landing gear maintenance, as well as expendables, for Fokker 50s.
TIMCO Aviation Services is partnering with MacAulay-Brown and Kellstrom Defense Aerospace to offer a C-130 center wing box rehabilitation program. The modification should extend the service life for a C-130 for 35,000 more baseline hours without recurring fatigue inspections or flight restrictions.
Bell Helicopter Textron received a $12.5 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of phases two and three of the Composite Maintenance Trainers (CMTs) effort, to include two UH-1Y trainers and two AH-1Z trainers. The CMTs will be based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and will be used to train personnel on the repair and maintenance of the H-1 Upgrades Aircraft.
PSA Airlines awarded Honeywell a contract to maintain the APUs on its CRJ-200s and provide Integrated Service Solutions for APUs and avionics on the US Airways Express operator's CRJ-700s through 2017.
SR Technics promoted Felix Amman to vice president of the company's maintenance base in Bahrain. As of Aug. 1, he will run the base that provides aircraft and component maintenance, as well as management and logistics services, for the Gulf Air fleet. Roberto Pace, who joined the company in 2005 as an area sales director in Europe, will succeed Amman in Hong Kong as vice president of sales and marketing for Asia-Pacific. Philippe Erni, who previously was in Bahrain, will become vice president sales and business development for the Middle East and India.
